Can a Hat Trick Reverse Obesity?

For decades the medical profession has recommended that we reduce our fat intake. We have. We lowered our fat intake from 40 percent to 30 percent of total calories. Why then have obesity, and the diabetes that often accompanies it, become so prevalent?

What has happened? Why have we gotten fatter? What should we be doing about it?

For decades the medical profession has recommended that we reduce our fat intake. We have. We lowered our fat intake from 40 percent to 30 percent of total calories. Why then have obesity, and the diabetes that often accompanies it, become so prevalent?

It appears that the advice we as doctors gave, and in most cases are still giving, was wrong.The main culprit is not fat, but excess sugar. We made the huge mistake of swapping sugar for fat. We doubled our fructose consumption and we have reaped a whirlwind.

Our bodies respond differently to sugar, depending on the form it comes in. Cake with sugary frosting makes us feel full, and we reduce the amount we subsequently eat. Digestion takes hours, allowing our bodies time to deal with the sugar load. This doesn't happen when we drink a soda.

For eons, human beings have quenched their thirst with water. That's still what our bodies expect. When we add 15 teaspoons of sugar to that glass of water, as we do when we drink a soda or other sugary drink, we override our finely tuned and long-evolved system. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer have all been linked to sugary beverage consumption.

A new and creative strategy in the fight to lower sugary drink consumption was recently unveiled in Sacramento, Calif. SB 1000, proposed by CA State Senator Bill Monning, would place warning labels on sugary drink bottles and cans. The science supports such an effort. An expert panel of medical researchers designed the warning label, which if passed, would read: STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.

Can a combination of all three strategies, a hat trick, if you will, help reverse the obesity/diabetes epidemic? I believe so, but to be truly effective we need these strategies to go viral. Clearly, Big Soda believes that their sales will go down if these strategies are adopted. That's why they spend so much money fighting to defeat these measures.

Ask your elected representatives to consider both a soda tax and placing warning labels on soda bottles and cans. Ask your medical center leaders to promote health by joining those hospitals that have already signed the "Health Hospital Challenge" and have gone "soda-free." The future health of our children and of our communities may well depend on it. For resources to get a campaign started in your community go here.